Pharmacy love connections

Andrew & Erin Dover, Harrisville Pharmacy, Moncton, NB Years together? We started dating in June 2006 and were married in June 2008. How did you meet? We met on April 21, 2003, to be exact. I was a new graduate from Memorial University and had just moved from St. John's to Moncton. I was to complete my internship and then begin as the staff pharmacist at Sobeys Pharmacy in Moncton, where Erin was working as a pharmacy assistant. When did you know it was love? On New Year’s Eve 2006 Erin moved back to Moncton but was not able to find an apartment. She "temporarily" moved her things in and never left! Do you work together? Yes, we are co-owners of the pharmacy. I am the pharmacist and Erin is a home health and wellness consultant. My time is spent mainly practising pharmacy and, since last March, administering COVID-19 vaccines, as well as doing admin work for the store and managing the OTC area. Erin consults on home health and wellness products such as mastectomy prosthetics and garments, as well as compression therapy—and provides advice and products to help with mobility, bracing, wound care and aids for daily living. As we continue to grow our business Erin often finds herself helping in the pharmacy, managing vaccination appointments and filling prescriptions. What’s the best thing about being in the same profession? Opening a pharmacy in the middle of a pandemic was a risk and, perhaps, a little more difficult than we thought it would be. The best part is that I've gotten to have this adventure with my best friend. We know each other well enough to not get in the way, but to also be there when the day is challenging. Most of all, we get to watch our business grow and succeed together as a result of both of our efforts. Bryan Gray & Robyn Despins, Oak Medical Arts, Thunder Bay, ON Years together? Almost two. How did you meet? At PharmacyU Vancouver in 2016, where we were introduced by a mutual pharmacy colleague. The group of us spent the weekend together at the conference and exploring Vancouver. Afterward we kept in touch regularly and stayed friends for a few years before we started dating. When did you know it was love? I travelled to visit Bryan in Thunder Bay in early 2020. We had been friends for years already, and as crazy as it sounds, I knew I loved him after spending the week together. I moved from Saskatchewan to Thunder Bay just two months after that trip. When you know, you know! Do you work together? Nearly every day. Bryan owns Oak Medical Arts, and we currently have six clinic and pharmacy locations in Thunder Bay. We operate the businesses together, so we work together on everything from strategic planning, accounting, marketing and human resources to operations, developing new services and leading and managing our teams. Every day includes either updating each other on what we're working on, meetings with our team, discussing ideas, planning projects together and occasionally working at one of the pharmacies or clinics together. What’s the best thing about being in the same profession? Both being pharmacists gives us a shared passion and experience and lays the foundation to come together and collaborate on ideas for innovation, practice excellence, and ultimately work together on growing and expanding the businesses! The best is yet to come! Jason & Lauren Chenard, Noeville, Noëlville and Alban Pharmacies, ON Years together? We started dating in our third year of pharmacy school but went to high-school together. We’ve been married for 12 years and have two kids, a nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter Do you work together? Not directly. Lauren works part-time for a few different pharmacies while I manage a pharmacy for a corporate chain full-time while visiting our two stores weekly. Lauren does plenty of support work from the home office while I’m in charge of the overall strategy/execution/hands-on staff and community support. When did you know it was love? There was no official turn-key moment.Very early on, we realized that we made each other better, accepted each other's quirks and brought out the best versions of each other…Except for all of Lauren's zombie movies. I’ve seen enough of those. What’s the best thing about being in the same profession? Empathy and understanding. We both know what each other is going through, good and bad. Also, keeping up to date clinically can sometimes be easier if you are willing to hear your spouse ramble about something they learned. (This can backfire if you are discussing strange pharmacy topics like diarrhea treatment options while your neighbours walk by. True story!) Having another pharmacist with skin in the game to bounce business decisions off of usually results in better business and operation decisions. Lucy & Chung Tam, Cliffway Pharmacy, Mississauga, ON Years together? We started dating in 2010, got engaged in 2012 and have been married since 2013. So, 12 years total. How did you meet? During frosh week at pharmacy school. We were in the same group! When did you know it was love? We became friends quick but it wasn’t love at first sight. We studied together often starting the second year of pharmacy school, and got to know each other a lot more. We started to fall for each other but we did not know for sure it was love until after we graduated. Thankfully God put us both in Mississauga where we could grow our relationship and end up being together! Do you work together? Yes, we own an independent pharmacy and work together there. What’s the best thing about being in the same profession? Having the natural understanding for each other’s work and being able to support and encourage each other in that aspect. The best perk right now is being able to take turns working and looking after the kids at home! It is definitely a huge blessing! Rutu & Devang Patel, Metro Drugs, Chilliwack, BC Years together? Five. We got married in 2017. How did you meet? I got a job as a pharmacist where Devang is working as a pharmacy manager. When did you know it was love? After working together for six months Do you work together now? Yes, 24-7. What’s the best thing about being in the same profession? We can provide the best customer service as we know what to do in the pharmacy without telling each other. It is like lock and key. Sue & Ken Burns, Sudbury, ON Years together? Way over 40 years. How did you meet? We got together in September 1980, the start of our second year of pharmacy school. It was innocent enough, as I had received word that Susie Longo (as she was known) had said a large group of pharmacy students were supposed to meet at Centre Island for some activities. Interestingly, the time I was given to meet was an hour earlier than everyone else knew, so only Sue and I were there. Clearly it was a setup, but I was a naive 18-year-old boy, and she was a worldly, approaching 20-year-old woman of the world. I did not know what I was in for. We chatted (she is very good at chatting) and somehow I ended up spending a lot of time that day with her, including tying her shoes when she tapped my shoulder, batted her eyes at me, and pouted mournfully "My shoe is untied." I believed in nobility and chivalry, and of course tied her shoe. Then I ran off to play football with other pharmacy students. Little did I know I had passed an important test as she said to another friend as I dashed away: "I am going to marry that guy." When did you know it was love? I am always intrigued by this question. I had to leave work yesterday because of an urgent procedure (everything is all good now) and even though she was working, she asked what she could do to help. She even chased around to see how I could get in to see the physician live. No easy feat these days. She just did it. So I am not sure when I first realized it was love, but there have been way, way more times when I am reminded of it. Of course it's not perfect, but even then the idea that we need to work through any of the things that challenge a couple and a family is also a reminder that it is love. Do you work together? We have never worked together professionally, but the work of a couple is more about the rest of life, which is both way more challenging and way more interesting than pharmacy. We had careers very different from most pharmacists. Sue has worked in Long Term Care for almost all of her career, but has also led the way in her chosen path with awards and by starting associations for her peers—and especially by earning the respect and admiration of those in the LTC community she works with. A timely example is the note of gratitude accompanying a bottle of Prosecco she showed me yesterday from a technician she has worked with for many years which, when I read it, brought me to tears. My path has also been quite different from the usual. We have been able to support each other over the years because the unusual path can be more challenging and frustrating, but we are both now in jobs that we love doing (not that they are perfect). I am not sure another partner would have put up with the committees and association work, and particularly the time away from the family and its needs. What’s the best thing about being in the same profession? It’s sharing the good and the bad about a day of work because you have a common understanding and empathy. Sometimes it can be an issue—just ask my daughters about how they love discussions about pharmacy around the dinner table—but I can't imagine sharing the good and the bad with someone not intimately acquainted with what we do. Being in pharmacy school together was pretty cool too. Especially because that is where we met. I guess that makes it the best part about both being pharmacists. Maria Coccimiglio & Bob Chapman, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Years together? We will have been married 24 years as of May 2022. We have two boys. How did you meet? We met at Ferris Sate university in Bog Rapids Michigan first year. Bob came over to talk to me after an exam and the rest is history. He is American and I am Canadian. Do you work together? Bob has worked many jobs, starting with retail pharmacy as staff and as a manager, some hospital pharmacist work and outpatient oncology. He was also a professor at our local college in the Pharmacy Technician program and is currently Chair of Health Programs at Sault College. Maria has been at Sault Area hospital for 24 years, and works as a clinical and staff pharmacist. The last several years she has focused on Antimicrobial Stewardship and last year received her Board certification in Infectious disease. She is also the professional practice leader for the department. What’s best about being in the same profession? Pharmacy talk at the dinner table is always welcomed in our home. After all, it’s what brought us together!

Pharmacy love connections

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